Maureen Kirk stood behind the microphone in the City Council Chambers and likened the scene to the movie “Groundhog Day,” where the same thing keeps happening over and over and over.

If not for the fact that Kirk was standing in the wrong place, the sense of deja vu would have been overwhelming. Instead, the former Chico City Council member was on the other side of the lectern, addressing her former colleagues on the council. Now a county supervisor, Kirk wanted to explain why the oft-discussed Tuscan Village on Eaton Road was a bad idea. (The council approved it anyway on a 4-3 vote.)

A few minutes later, the council endured another “Groundhog Day” moment when it discussed a cell phone tower at the Elks Lodge.

The City Council and Planning Commission have been discussing the tower for more than a year. Residents of northeast Chico and people who go into upper Bidwell Park say they want better cell phone coverage in the area, and five cell phone carriers are trying to provide the service.

The city, hoping to put all the carriers on one pole, started fielding two proposals — one near the Elks Lodge and another one attached to light standards at Hooker Oak Recreation Area.

The Chico Planning Commission approved the Elks Lodge tower, then rejected it four months later after the council approved the Hooker Oak location. The company that wants the Elks tower then appealed the denial to the City Council, which agreed Tuesday to hear the proposal again next month.

Confused? You”re not alone.

The council did the right thing in agreeing to hear the appeal because the council needs to keep its options open. If the council can figure out a way to approve just one tower and make all carriers share, that would be ideal.

There”s no denying the demand. Cell phone service is more important than ever as more and more consumers cancel their land lines and go with cell-only coverage. The demand will only get stronger in coming years.

We believe the best of the two options is placing the tower on light standards surrounding one of the ballfields at Hooker Oak. But an attorney with a penchant for filing lawsuits sued to block the tower. According to City Attorney David Frank, the lawsuit will be heard next week and a judge”s ruling could come by Thanksgiving.

The council will hear the Elks Lodge appeal on Sept. 4. The only sensible solution is to delay a decision until the lawsuit is decided. After months and months of “Groundhog Day” reruns, what”s another 12 weeks?